1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in particular to apparatus for loading a film cassette into a photographic camera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is generally known as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,363,547, issued Dec. 14, 1982, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,319, issued Jun. 20, 1989, for a photographic camera to include a cassette carrier, such as a door, having an integral chamber for receiving a film cassette. Typically, the carrier is mounted for movement relative to the camera body between a loading position in which the chamber is at least partially removed from the camera body to permit insertion and removal of the film cassette and a normal position in which the chamber is disposed in lighttight relation with the camera body. A drive spindle for rotating a film spool of the film cassette and a coaxial gear are rotatably supported on the carrier. A driving gear is rotatably supported in the camera body for meshing with the coaxial gear to rotate the spindle when the carrier is in its normal position. However, the degree to which the two gears may mesh is not precisely controlled. Thus, for example, should the gears mesh too tightly they might bind or lock.
Usually some means, such as a spring, is provided in the chamber to slightly shift the film cassette from a centered load position to a datum position in order to precisely locate the cassette relative to a film transport path in the camera body. However, the spindle usually remains centered at the bottom of the chamber, that is, it does not shift with the film cassette to the datum position.